Pressure-regulating device.



G; E. PREDOOK & 0. E. ANDERSON.

PRESSURE RBG ULA'TING DEVICE. APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 13, 1910.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

nivrrno srerss WMQE GEQIihG-E E. All? CE'IAELES E. ANDERSON, 63* ST. LQUIS, MISSOURI.

FEzEESSUiEtE-REGULATING DEVJECE.

incisors.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented web. 6, i912.

hpplication filed. Heoemher 1.3, 7.916. Serial No. 597,147.

To all whzm may concern: 7

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. Punuoon and (Ensures E. Anonnson, both citizens of the United States, residing st St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefullmprovernent in Pressure-Regulating Devices, of which the following is s .i'ull, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it And still another object is to provide on inexpensive oressurc regulsting device for pneumatic tires that can he installed easily and which is so constructed. that it accurstely indicates the pressure of the sir in the tire.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a. vertical sectionsl view illustrating an ordinary pneu-. motic tire provided with a pressure-reguleting' device constructed in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2 is c righthand elcvw tional view of the arts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail. View illustrating a slight modification that can he made in the structureshown. in Fig. 1; and Fig. i is a detail vertical sectional view of another modification of our invention.

In 1 we have showh an ordinary pneumatic tire provided. withour improved pressur-.regulcting device. Referring to ssid figure, A designates the inner tube oi the tire, 1 designates the valve-stern or valve-carrying member that is connected to said inner tube end which is provided at its outer end with or reduced externally screwthreoded portion 1* to which the air pump can be attached, and 2 designates the air valve that cooperstes with. a seat on the under side of a cap 3 which is mounted in the reduced portion of the valve-carrying; member 1, seidvelve being provided With a plunger 4: that passes upwardly through an air port in the cap 3 and also a plunger 4;

that passes through c. guideway .md on which a coiled expansion spring 5 is mounted so as to hold said valve seated.

To convert a tire of the construction above described into a pressure-regulated tire that cannot burst or blow out on account of excessive pressure inside of the tire, we equip the tire with means 6 for holding the air valve 2 unseeted and also a pressureu'cgulsting valve 7 that opens automatically when the pressure inside of the tire exceeds a certain degree, said means and pressure-regulstlng valve being carried by a device B that is detschably connected to the valve-carry ing member 1 which carries the air valve 2. In the embodiment of our invention shown in Fig. 1, the device :8 consists of a. substantially inverted ti shsped hollow member whose leg 8 is arranged in slin'ement with the valve-carrying member 1, and whose leg 9 receives 2. coiled expansion spring; 10 that holds the pressure-regulating valve 7 seated, said valve losing arranged in a. seat on the formed, {LS shown in Fig. 1. The means which holds the air valve 2 unsested consists of a pin 6 that is mounted on the device B in such a. manner that it strikes the upper end of the plunger 4 of the air valve and depresses same when the device 18 is arranged in operative position, thereby permitting the air to flow into the air chamber 12 in the device B. if the pressure in the tire or in the air chamber 12 exceeds the force of the spring 1d, the pressurereguleting valve 7 will open sutomsticsll'y in the direction inunder side of o well that closes the upper end of the leg 9 and in which a. port 11 is dicoted by the arrow as in Fig. 1 and thus permit some or the air to escape into the hollow leg 9 of the device B and thence through the port 13 in said leg to the atmosphere.

Means is provided for varying the force or strength of the spring 10 so as to enable the pressure in the tire tohecontrollcd or varied to any desired degree, the gneans shown in Fig. 1 for soiusting the sprin g 10 consisting of or screw 14: mounted in a cap 15 that closes the lower end of the leg 9, and provided at its upper end with a follower 16 on which the spring l0- rests. Thecap 15 is preferably screwed into the lower end oi. the leg 9 or connected thereto in. such a. manner that it can be removed erably provided with a l'leild so as to enable the spring 10 and pressurcregulating valve 7 to be renewed or repaired, E and the screw or adjusting device 14 is pref- 17 so as to en- To aid the opercated by the gage in case too much air has jin. general use without changing the air of our invention shown in Fig. 1, consists ot' a movable pointer 18 that cooperates with 1 graduations 19 on the outer surface of the leg 9, said pointer having a ring-shaped part that loosely surrounds the leg 9, and a shank depending from said ring-shaped part and bearing upon the upper side of the head 17 on the adjusting screw 14:. When said screw is turned in one direction the pointer will travel upwardly over the graduations 19, and when said screw is turned in the opposite direction said pointer will travel down-.

wardly over-the graduations. Any suitable means may be used, however, for indicating the strength of the spring 10 so that we do not wish it to be understood that our invention is limited to the structu re herein shown. I Any suitable means may be used for emnecting the device B to the valve-carrying member 1 of the tire. both eflicient and of simple construction consists of a union 20 screwed onto a collar or flange at on the valve-carrying member 1 and projecting over a flange 22 on the lower end of the leg 8 of the device B and a washer or gasket 23 arranged between the collar 21 and the flange 22- so as to produce a tight joint.

A tirethat is equipped with a pressureregulating device of the construction above described cannot burst or blow out. on account of abnormal pressure inside of the tire for when the pressure exceeds the force of the spring 10 the valve 7 will open automatically and thus permit some of the air to escape through the port 13 to the atmosphere. If the tire is designed to carry 80 lbs. pressure the user adjusts the screw 14 so as to set the pointer 18 on the numeral 80 of the-scale or graduated surface of the device, and then if the air in the tire becomes heated and expands when the tire is in service, the valve 7 will open automatically when the pressure exceeds 80 lbs. and thus permit sutlicient air to escapeto reduce the pressure to 80 lbs. Consequently, our invention overcomes one of the most objectionable features of pneumatic tires, namely, blow-outs caused by the heating of the air in the tire and the resultant increase of pressure 'above that which the tire is designed to carry or withstand. The device is, of course, removed when the tire is being inflated but as soon 'as the device is again applied or arranged member 1 the pressure in the tire will be reduced automatically to the degree indi- One means that is v adjustable so as to enable said air valve to be thrown into service without removing the device B from thevalve-carrying memher 1, such a structure being illustrated in Fig. 3, in which the reference character 6 designates an adjustable air valve tripping member that can be moved into and out of engagement with the upper end of the plunger 4 on the air valve.

Another slight modification that can be made in the device B is the addition of an air valve 24, and an externally screw-threaded collar 25. as shown in Fig. 4-, to which a pump or inflating machine can be attached, thereby enabling the tire to be inflated without removing the device B from the valvecarrving member l.

Vl hile we have herein-shown our invention embodied in a device that is adapted to be applied to the valve-stem or valve-carrying member now universally used on pneumatic tires, we do not wish it to be understood that our device is limited to use on pneumatic tires for it could be used for various other purposes.

One of the chief advantages of our device over similar devices which have heretofore been used is that itris compact and projects such a short distance from the wheel rim that it is not apt to be broken or damaged. Another desirable fcdturc is that the air escapesdirectly into the atmosphere withranged in the vertical plane in which the tire lies with one of its legs in alincment with the valve-carrying member of the tire, mcans'arranged in said leg for holding the valve of said valve-carrying member unseated, a wall extending ecross the other leg 'our signatures in the presence of two wit-' of said inverted U-shaped member inv whi'c nesses, this ninth day of December-A910. a port is formed, an outwardl opening "GEORGEE. PREDOCK.

valve for closing said port, an a spring vCHARLES E. ANDERSON; arranged under said valve for holding it Witnesses: seate WELLS L. CHURCH,

In' testimony whereof, we hereunto afiix I GEORGE BAKEWELL'. 

